1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to reflective lighting fixtures and more particularly to enhancing the wide spacing of light reflections from those types of lighting fixtures including a plurality of highly reflective surfaces at low angles of reflections.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Efficient light reflection from light fixtures is extremely important, if for no other reason except for conservation-of-energy reasons. In striving to increase light fixture efficiency, designers of the current generation of fixtures have attempted to optimize the arrangement of light reflecting surfaces and have even utilized specular surfaces throughout in anticipation that such a fixture would be the ultimate.
The trend in new fixtures just described has resulted, however, in light fixtures producing light which is spotty or poorly distributed, light that is too focal and light which is not pleasing.
There have been many studies concerning the development of surfaces to diffuse light and to spread light and some fixtures utilize some of these techniques. However, heretofore it has not been appreciated that in a multi-surface reflector system there is an advantage of using on some selected surfaces a diffusing material or surface treatment while on other surfaces it is desirable to use specular surfaces or, alternatively, surface spreading techniques, all while not giving up to any appreciable degree, light efficiency when compared to an all specular lamp fixture.
Therefore, it is a feature of the present invention to provide an improved light reflector having a plurality of surfaces, some of which tend to sharply reflect images of the source at low reflecting angles, with other selected surfaces being specular or, alternatively, being treated for diffusing light.
It is another feature of the present invention to provide an improved light reflector for an elongated source and having a plurality of surfaces, low-angle reflection surfaces having diffusing treatment qualities and other surfaces having specular, or alternatively, light spread reflection qualities, the combination achieving wide spacing of uniform light.
It is still another feature of the present invention to provide an improved light fixture with low reflective angle surfaces treated for diffusing light and high reflective angle surfaces being specular, or alternatively, being treated for light spread reflection.